Who said a bank must be a dour structure, all layers of muddy tones and mutual fund advertisements? Judging from the bright, welcoming ambience of Sugamo Shinkin Bank’s Nakaaoki Branch, architect Emmanuelle Moureaux certainly doesn’t feel that way. The fourth branch designed by Moureaux for Japan-based Sugamo Shinkin (I wrote about another branch here), the building features cubes of varying depths with bold dashes of resin-based paint meticulously placed on sides or front pieces. Moureaux feels this makes the building “change expression” when viewed from different vantage points as the “colours appear in and out from the rhythmical repetition of cubes, dancing like musical notes playing a rainbow melody”. Plants like marigolds, lavender and olive trees mingle with the modern cube structure, highlighting the changing seasons. Even the teller windows feel enthusiastic! Now this is a bank I would linger at…

Pentagram’s Abbott Miller created the environmental design for Centro Roberto Garza Sada, the handsome arts centre at the Universidad de Monterrey. I love the sleek white design system and how it contrasts with the stark grey walls. But it is his donor recognition installation that I am mesmerized by. Names of donors are engraved on polished Plexiglas rods and hung at different lengths to create a sculptural installation. As the light changes throughout the day, the Plexiglas pieces turn into ever-changing prisms, shifting in the air and casting rainbow light across the stark concrete space. Proof that donor recognition can go from dull to downright dreamy in the right hands…

A school in Ljubljana, Slovenia called Kindergarten Kekec proves that turning a space of learning from blah to inspiring only really requires some clever thinking and a big dash of colour. Built in just three days and inspired by the school’s lack of play equipment, Slovenian studio Arhitektura Jure Kotnik used rotating vertical shutters to turn the prefab 1980′s kindergarten into an interactive building. Timber slats can be turned from wood to bright colour (nine hues in total), allowing children to play, learn and engage with their school. I love how this installation constantly changes the appearance of the exterior and allows for both full bursts of colour and small strips of hue. If this had been my kindergarten, I may never have gone home…

If colour ever becomes its own religion, I think I found the ideal place of worship. Designed by Olson Kundig Architects, the redevelopment of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Seattle is a striking combination of modern lines and glowing colour. The street-level chapel and courtyard feature clear and coloured glass panels set in two story high steel frames. As the sun shifts throughout the day, this busy downtown space becomes an ever-changing kaleidoscope of coloured light that manages to be both peaceful and vivid. I just love how the simple lines and colour palette turn the idea of traditional stained glass into modern art. No matter what your spiritual outlook may be, I can’t imagine finding this space anything less than heavenly…

Pakta is a new Barcelona restaurant from famous culinary pioneers Albert and Ferran Adrià (creators of El Bulli). The menu features Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine and the interior design is a similarly striking fusion of style. Barcelona studio El Equipo Creativo reflected Japanese design with clean lines and wood details. At the same time, they placed traditional wooden Peruvian looms threaded with thick colourful (or pure white) yarn at angles throughout the space. I love the beautiful juxtaposition of layers. Strikingly modern with a vibrant artifact soul. It’s a lovely way to blend two cultures and a refreshing design for an innovative restaurant…

When I spied this project on The Artful Desperado yesterday, my head exploded with colour happiness and I had to share. Alex Brewer, otherwise known as HENSE, is an artist from Atlanta with a colourful, abstract, graffiti-inspired contemporary style. In short: wow-inducing. He was recently hired to create a massive mural on a historic but derelict church in a waterfront neighbourhood of Washington, D.C. Fittingly, the installation is directly across the street from a planned 20,000 sq.ft. museum (making the up and coming area officially smashing). I am often in favour of preserving great old architecture and returning buildings to their former glory. This project gave me pause. It would have been easy for abstract/graffiti style to clash horribly with this vintage church and make it look a blight of soulless, messy tags. But in the hands of HENSE, it remains heavenly. Vibrancy, detail, gestural abstraction – the mural retains the integrity of the historical structure yet creates a completely modern, artful wash of colour. And all using just latex paint and talent. History is given a new, colourful layer and in effect, brings glory back to what was long forgotten…

(p.s. anyone know what this building is set to become? I’ve been trying to figure it out!)

With the rise of big box stores and discount e-commerce, brick and mortar shops feel more important than ever. Their design details and community building potential are vital to the uniqueness of cities. To me, the soul of a place is found walking down its streets but what happens if every street looks exactly the same? Even if chain stores are an inevitable addition to a neighbourhood, there is no excuse for cookie cutter design. Just look at that great Starbucks above! Any shop can be engaging and full of great design. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I dissect some great brick and mortar shops that have caught my eye lately and serve as inspiration for physical storefronts, unique online spaces and temporary retail. Pop over here to have a look…

I feel like I have come across more inspiring school architecture lately than ever before. I hope this is a continuing trend because if there is one place that should always be colourful and inspiring, it is school. I love the gorgeous exterior of The Reece School in New York by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects. A non-profit private elementary school for special needs children on East 104th Street, I love the rectangles of transparent colour that make the building look friendly from the outside and full of joyful, colourful light on the inside. There are some fantastic light fixtures in the classrooms and gym as well. Learning and colour really are a match made in heaven…

Now this is a colour-happy police station. Designed by Klein Dytham Architecture, the ‘Koban Police Box’ is a station in the Japanese neighbourhood of Kumamoto. A perforated steel ribbon rims the top of the structure allowing for lovely shadows to dapple the sidewalk throughout the day. The inside surface is also painted a rainbow of light hues which, when viewed at street level, allows for colour to pop intriguingly from the perforations in many different ways. This design certainly projects a friendly, less intimidating image of police. I hope the handcuffs are similarly colourful…

I have always been Olympic Games obsessed but, after spending a few years working on design for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, I am full on bonkers about all things Olympic from sports to design to cultural events. One of my favourite facets is how the “Look of the Games” comes to life and dresses the event from tiny keychain to massive building. I particularly like when this design breaks tradition and changes the look of a sport. Case in point? London 2012′s Riverbank Arena where, for the first time ever, the Hockey competition will be played on a colour that isn’t traditional grass green. Instead, the pitch will be vibrant cobalt blue with hot pink edges and, in another Olympic first, the ball will be yellow instead of white. CMYK dreaminess, no? The palette was created in response to a request from the International Hockey Federation to help raise interest in the sport and is the final product of copious testing. Both the warm-up pitch and competition field are bold, modern and sure to catch the eye of many new hockey fans. The cobalt field will help the yellow ball be seen and overall, the vibrant colour trio will be beautifully telegenic and bright. Great abstract pattern in the spectator seating as well. I love when sports experiment with modern hues and design. Can’t wait to see this field in action as I may have just found my favourite London 2012 piece of colour…

Ecole Maternelle Pajol is a four-classroom kindergarten in Paris’s 18th arrondissement that joyfully showcases how colour and education are a true dream team. I love how Parisian architects Palatre & Leclère restored the 1940′s building. The front retains its vintage brick beauty while the back explodes with vibrant patterns and colourful activities. The interiors are equally joyful with bold hallways, bright furniture/building materials and a dotted ceiling I just love. Even the washroom features fabulous streamlined colour and animal details (love those dividers!) This kindergarten must be one magical place to learn and play…

We have all heard of “pop-UP” retail but will “pop-OUT” retail become the next begin thing? I am in love with the ingenious design of The Gourmet Tea in a São Paulo, Brazil shopping centre. Created by architect Alan Chu and inspired by the brand’s 35 brightly hued tea tins, the space is a wall of artful squares when closed and a lively, angled store when open. The flat panels of the plywood box “slide, swing and roll” into a vibrant space within minutes. I love how the shop sign is a hinged flap. A brilliant, colourful design that proves small spaces are often the most magical. Perhaps we can turn all malls into art installations when closed?